Coin operated dart game

ABSTRACT

A coin operated dart game wherein darts are propelled into piercing contact with a target assembly having a scoring register for accumulating the results of the areas of the target assembly penetrated by the darts. The target apparatus is located behind a fixed screen member and is supported on a carriage for cyclic movement by an electric motor from a forward dart receiving position to a rearward dart removing position, with the motor being cyclically driven in response to a dart penetrating the target apparatus. A collector is operatively associated with the dart game for collecting the removed darts in a container, with the container being operated from a dart storing position to a dart dispensing position in response to operation of a coin deposit.

United States Patent [191 Callaway [451 Feb. 5, 1974 COIN OPERATED DART GAME James W. Callaway, 730 Mt. Paron Rd., Atlanta, Ga. 30327 [22] Filed: Apr. 17, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 244,367

[76] Inventor:

[52] US. Cl 273/102.2 R, 273/102 B [51] Int. Cl F41j 3/02 [58] Field of Search.. 273/102 B, 102.2 R, 102.2 A,

273/102.1G, 11C, 95 D [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,623,065 11/1971 Rockwood 273/102.2 R 2,693,959 11/1954 Ross 273/l02.2 A 2,770,460 11/1956 Deasy 273/102 B 2,574,363 11/1951 Wilhelm 273/11 C Primary Examiner-Richard C. Pinkham Assistant Examiner-Marvin Siskind Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Newton, Hopkins 8L Ormsby [57] ABSTRACT A coin operated dart game wherein darts are propelled into piercing contact with a target assembly having a scoring register for accumulating the results of the areas of the target assembly penetrated by the darts. The target apparatus is located behind a fixed screen member and is supported on a carriage for cyclic movement by an electric motor from a forward 7 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures PATENTEBFEB 51924 3 790 sum 1 BF 2 1 COIN OPERATED DART GAME BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a game which is played utilizing target means and a thrown projectile, and is more particularly concerned with a coin operated dart game having means for automatically removing thrown darts from target means.

. A game utilizing target means and thrown darts has been available for home use for a'number of years. The home use type dart game includes a dart board having outlined areas, with each outlined area indicating an amount scored in response to a thrown dart penetrating an outlined area. In playing these dart games, a player would throw a number of darts at the dart board, accumulate the score of the thrown darts and would then manually remove the thrown darts for use by a second player. A number of dart games have been devoloped wherein the scoring of the game includes electrical actuating means automatically operable in response to a thrown dart penetrating an outlined area, with the score of the outlined area being registered by scoring means.

The above-described dart games, including automatically operable electrical scoring means, are not adapted for use as an amusement device wherein the game could be controlled by coined deposit means. One problem with adapting the 'prior art dart game means for coin operation, is that the prior art dart games do not have any facilities for automatically removing the thrown darts from the target means and for collecting and storing the darts in a closed container means which could only be obtained by the deposit of an additional coin means so that the game could be readily controlled by utilization of the coin deposit means.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The above disadvantages have been overcome by the present invention which basically includes a dart game having target means and dart stripping means, wherein the target means and the dart stripping means are movable relative to each other to automatically strip a thrown dart from the target means in response to penetration of the target means by a thrown dart.

One important feature of the present invention includes the provision of dart collection means operable for collecting and storing the darts removed by the dart stripping means and wherein access to the dart collection means can be obtained only by operation of coin deposit means.

Another feature of the present invention is the provision of electrical scoring means operable for automatically accumulating the results of a thrown dart.

A further feature of the present invention includes cyclic control means for stopping the target in a rearwardly displaced inoperable dart receiving position after completion of a dart game.

The above features of a coin operated dart game are obtained by supporting a movable target behind a fixed screen means, with the target being cyclically driven from a forward dart receiving position to a retracted dart stripping position in response to dart piercing means penetrating the target means.

It is therefore a primary object of the 'present invention to provide a dart game which can be adapted to use as an amusement device operated under control of coin deposit means.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide a coin operated dart game which is simple in construction and use, economical to manufacture and reliable in performance.

These and other objects and advantages of the details of construction will become apparent after reading the following description of the illustrative embodiment, with reference to the attached drawings wherein like reference numerals have been used to refer to like parts throughout the several figures, and wherein:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a coin operated dart game embodying the principles of the present invention:

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the dart game shown in section and certain parts omitted for purpose of clarity;

FIG. 3 is afront elevational view, with certain parts broken away and shown in section and certain parts omitted for purpose of clarity;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the dart stripping screen;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view showing the target supported in a dart receiving position;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view similar to FIG. 5 showing the target means adjusted to a re tracted dart moving position;

FIG. 7 is a view similar FIG. 5 showing the position of the target after a dart has been removed; and

FIG. 8 is an electrical schematic diagram showing the controls operatively associated with the dart game.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawing, a coin operated dart game embodying the principles of the present invention is shown and generally represented by the reference numeral 10. The coin operated dart game 10 is constructed to include a generally rectangular upright housing having sidewalls 11, 12 joined at their opposite ends by a bottom wall 13 and a top wall 14. The housing structure is provided with a front panel which is divided into a number of zones, the top zone 16 including a pair of serially operable accumulating register means l7, l8. Immediately below scoring zone 16 is a target zone 20. Target zone 20 is substantially square in shape and is provided with a number of circular outlined areas representative of a target scoring board. The construction of the scoring zone 16 will be described in more detail hereinbelow. Supported on the front panel below the target zone 20 is a dart collection zone 25. Dart collection zone 25 is provided with a troughshaped area having an upwardly open cavity which is supported immediately beneath the scoring zone, with the cavity being operable for receiving and transferring darts to a dart storage and dispensing zone generally represented by reference numeral 30.

As shownin FIGS. 2 and 3, the dart storage and dispensing zone 30 includes an upwardly open storage hopper 31 constructed to include a pivotally mounted bottom 32, a pair of downwardly converging sidewalls means for movement from a horizontal dart storage position to a downwardly displaced dart dispensing position. When storage hopper bottom 32 is in a retracted horizontal dart storage position, the extended end on bottom wall 32 is in contact with rear wall 36 to prevent darts contained within the dart storage hopper from being disposed into dart receiving opening 37. The hopper bottom wall 31 is moved to a pivotally displaced dart dispensing position by means of a conventional coin deposit means 40. Coin deposit means 40 is provided with a slot 41 through which a coin is inserted and includes an actuating member 42 which is operable for transferring a deposited coin rearwardly to collection means (not shown), with the actuating member 42 being operable for effecting pivotal movement of the dart storage hopper bottom 32 to the dart dispensing position. The storage hopper bottom 32 is spring biasedby conventional spring means (not shown) to the horizontal dart storage position and includes an upstanding member 38 which is in abutting engagement with the coin deposit actuating member 42. The details of construction of the coin deposit means and the actuator assembly for moving bottom 32 forms no part of the present invention and is conventional in the prior art amusement devices. Therefore, the details of these components have notbeen shown and described.

Darts are transferred to the storage hopper 31 by means of the upwardly open trough-shaped collection cavity 25. As shown in FIG. 3, the trough-shaped collection cavity 25 is provided with a downwardly and rearwardly sloping bottom wall 26 which is joined by a pair of forward extensions 11a, 12a formed on the housing sidewalls 11, 12, respectively. A rear edge of the downwardly and rearwardly sloping bottom wall 25 terminates above the downwardly sloping inwardly converging wall members 33, 34 as shown in FIG. 2. In operation, a dart that is received by the dart collection zone 25 is transferred by gravity down along bottom wall 26 and inwardly along the converging walls 33, 34 until the dart is deposited in the storage hopper bottom 32.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 4-7, the dart target zone 20 is provided with dart stripping means 50. The dart stripping means 50 is a wire mesh type construction including a plurality of horizontally spaced vertical elements 51 and a plurality of interwoven vertically spaced horizontal elements 52. The vertical and horizontal elements 51, 52 intersect each other to define a plurality of openings 53 through which a piercing point of a dart can pass. The wire mesh type dart stripping means 50 is secured in a fixed position relative to the front of the housing structure by attaching the lateral edges to fixed frame means (not shown) located in substantially coplanar relationship with the forward edges of the housing wall members 11-14.

As shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and -8, a target means generally represented by the reference numeral 60 is supported immediately behind the dart stripping means 50. Target 60 includes a generally upright structure 61 constructed of a material which will receive the piercing point of a thrown dart. The target means 61 is constructed to include a plurality of scoring zones which are provided with independent circuit'means operable for transferring a value representative of the outlined area to one of the scoring accumulator means 17, 18. The electrically operated target means 61 is of conventional construction and reference is made to a patent to A. P. Ross, .Ir., No. 2,693,959 issued Nov. 9, 1954 for details of construction of an electrically operated dart target means. I

As shown in FIG. 2, the dart target means 60 is supported for reciprocating movement on a carriage assembly 65. Carriage assembly 65 is supported by a pair of guide track means 66, 67 adjacent the housing sidewalls 11, 12 and is provided with a plurality of roller support members 68, 69. The target means 60 is driven from a forwardly extended operable dart receiving position to a rearwardly retracted dart stripping position by means of an electrically operable motor means 70. Motor means 70 is supported on carriage 65 and includes a rotary crank member 71 connected by a link 72 to a fixed bracket 73. A cycle of operation of motor 70 will effect movement of the target 60 from the forwardly extended dart receiving position (FIGS. 2 and 5), rearwardly to the retracted dart removing position (FIG. 6), and will return the target means to the forward operating position. However, when a dart game is completed, the target is automatically moved to the rearwardly displaced inoperable dart receiving position. When the target 60 is supported in the forward operating position, the piercing point 101 of a thrown dart will penetrate the target means and will cause a score to be registered in one of the accumulating means 17, 18 which score is representative of the outlined area hit by the thrown dart. When the piercing point 101 penetrates target means 60, the electric motor means 70 will be driven through a cycle of operation. When target means 60 is moved rearwardly, as shown in FIG. 6, the forward front body portion 102 of the thrown dart will contact the wire mesh stripping means 50 and a continued rearward displacement of the target means 60 will withdraw the piercing point 101 from the target means. After the piercing point 101 is withdrawn from the target means, the dart 100 will fall by gravity into the dart collection means 25 for transfer to the dart storage hopper 31.

OPERATION When a first dart game has been completed, the target means 60 is stopped in a rearwardly displaced inoperable dart receiving position by conventional cyclic control means. To initiate a dart game, a first player will deposit apredetermined coin means in coin slot 41 and will effect movement of actuator 42 which will in turn effect movement of the dart storage hopper bottom 32 to a pivoted dart dispensing position. A deposit of the first coin means will also energize a first dart scoring means 17 which will be operable for accumulating a score in response to the player throwing the darts. When the thrown dart piercing point penetrates the target 60, the target will be energized to transfer the value of the outlined area contacted to a first accumulator means. When each dart penetrates the target means, the motor 70 will be driven through one cycle of operation causing the target means 60 to be displaced rearwardly so that the stripping means 50 will remove the dart, allowing the dart to fall by gravity into the dart collection means 25. The first player will continue to throw each dart until he has completed the game. A second player will then take his turn by inserting a predetermined coin means in the coin deposit means 40 and retrieving the darts from the storage hopper 31. The second player will then serially throw each of his darts, with each dart transferring a value of the outlined area contacted to the second scoring means 18. After each dart is thrown by the second player, the dart will be stripped from the target means by a rearward displacement of the target relative to the stripping means 50, allowing each dart to fall by gravity to the dart collection means 25.

Thus, after two players have completed throwing their darts, the score of the first player will be recorded in the accumulator l7 and the score of the second player will be recorded in acccumulator scoring means 18. The deposit of a third coin means will clear both of the scoring accumulators 17, 18 in a conventional manner and will energize the first accumulator 17 for receiving and scoring a third dart game. Additional dart games can be played where each of the darts contacting or penetrating the target means 60 transfers a score of the outlined area contact to one of the scoring means, and with each dart being stripped from the target means and transferred to the dart collection zone in a manner as described above.

It now becomes apparent that the above described illustrative embodiment of the coin operated dart game is capable of obtaining the above stated objects and advantages. It is obvious that those skilled in the art may make modification in the details of construction without departing from the spirit of the invention which is to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A game for use in playing darts comprising, in combination:

a. target means constructed of a material to permit penetration of piercing means on a thrown dart;

b. means operatively associated with said target means for removing a thrown dart from said target means;

c. said dart removing means including dart stripping means, and means being provided for effecting relative movement between said target means and said dart stripping means with said game including means for automatically effecting said relative movement and for holding said target and said stripping means in a displaced inoperable dart receiving position after completion of a dart game; and

d. said stripping means being fixed and said target means being movable relative to said stripping means from a forwardly extended dart receiving position to a rearwardly displaced dart stripping position.

2. A game as defined in claim 1 further characterized in that said game includes coin operated dart container means supported for collecting said darts removed from said target means, said container means being operable for movement between a retracted dart storage position and an extended dart dispensing position, and wherein said game includes coin operated means for effecting movement of said container from said retracted storage position to said extended dart dispensing position.

3. A game as defined in claim 2 further characterized in that said game includes a number of downwardly converging wall surfaces having spaced ends defining an opening for transferring the removed darts to said coin operated container means.

4. A game as defined in claim 1 further characterized in that said target is supported on a carriage, and wherein said carriage includes cyclically driven motor means for effecting movement of said carriage and the supported target from the forwardly extended target receiving position to the retracted dart stripping position.

5. A game as defined in claim 4 further characterized in that said carriage drive motor is cyclically driven from said forwardly extended position to the rearwardly retracted position and back to the forwardly extended position in response to a thrown dart penetrating said target means.

6. A game as defined in claim 5 further characterized in that said game includes electrical scoring means operable for accumulating the results of each thrown dart.

7. A game for use in playing darts comprising in com bination, target means constructed of a material to permit penetration of piercing means on a thrown dart, stripping means fixedly mounted adjacent and in front of said target means, said stripping means being so formed as to permit penetration by the piercing means of a dart but to prevent passage of a dart body portion, and means for moving said target means in a no-vertical path away from and returning it to a position adjacent said stripping means, said movement away from the stripping means being effective to strip a dart which has penetrated the target means. 

1. A game for use in playing darts comprising, in combination: a. target means constructed of a material to permit penetration of piercing means on a thrown dart; b. means operatively associated with said target means for removing a thrown dart from said target means; c. said dart removing means including dart stripping means, and means being provided for effecting relative movement between said target means and said dart stripping means with said game including means for automatically effecting said relative movement and for holding said target and said stripping means in a displaced inoperable dart receiving position after completion of a dart game; and d. said stripping means being fixed and said target means being movable relative to said stripping means from a forwardly extended dart receiving position to a rearwardly displaced dart stripping position.
 2. A game as defined in claim 1 further characterized in that said game includes coin operated dart container means supported for collecting said darts removed from said target means, said container means being operable for movement between a retracted dart storage position and an extended dart dispensing position, and wherein said game includes coin operated means for effecting movement of said container from said retracted storage position to said extended dart dispensing position.
 3. A game as defined in claim 2 further characterized in that said game includes a number of downwardly converging wall surfaces having spaced ends defining an opening for transferring the removed darts to said coin operated container means.
 4. A game as defined in claim 1 further characterized in that said target is supported on a carriage, and wherein said carriage includes cyclically driven motor means for effecting movement of said carriage and the supported target from the forwardly extended target receiving position to the retracted dart stripping position.
 5. A game as defined in claim 4 further characterized in that said carriage drive motor is cyclically driven from said forwardly extended position to the rearwardly retracted position and back to the forwardly extended position in response to a thrown dart penetrating said target means.
 6. A game as defined in claim 5 further characterized in that said game includes electrical scoring means operable for accumulating the results of each thrown dart.
 7. A game for use in playing darts comprising in combination, target means constructed of a material to permit penetration of piercing means on a thrown dart, stripping means fixedly mounted adjacent and in front of said target means, said stripping means being so formed as to permit penetration by the piercing means of a dart but to prevent passage of a dart body portion, and means for moving said target means in a no-vertical path away from and returning it to a position adjacent said stripping means, said movement away from the stripping means being effective to strip a dart which has penetrated the target means. 